Her Secret Valentine. Cathy Thacker Gillen

you’ll come with me.”

      He winked at her cheerfully, suddenly looking like the carefree, charming med student she had fallen in love with years ago. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

      Cal opened the door for her, and Ashley slid behind the steering wheel. Circling around to the other side, Cal dropped into the passenger seat. Electricity sizzled between them as Ashley recalled how they used to do a little “parking” in this car, too.

      “As much as I’d like you to try it with the top down…” Cal said.

      Ashley shivered, just thinking about the wintry air blowing over them. “Yeah. I think it’s too cold for that tonight, too.”

      “But when warmer weather comes,” Cal predicted, fastening his old-fashioned lap belt, “we’ll have a lot of fun with it.”

      It certainly sounded as though he was in this for the long haul, Ashley thought, as she fastened her belt, too. She shook her head, marveling at how accurately Cal had targeted her feelings.

      To her delight, the motor started easily and ran with a gentle purr. “I can’t get over how much this looks like the Mustang we started dating in,” Ashley commented as she took it out on the country road and drove it through the moonlit countryside.

      Cal draped an arm across the back of the seat. “It doesn’t just look like it, Ashley.” He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. “This is the Car.”

      A quick glance his way showed her he wasn’t kidding. Ashley turned onto a road that would take them back in the direction of the farm. Enjoying the quick responsiveness of the motor, and the tight command of the wheel, Ashley asked, “How did you manage that?”

      “I talked to Marty—the friend we used to borrow it from—and got the serial number and worked backwards from there,” Cal told her as she slowed the car and turned into the long, narrow driveway.

      “Unfortunately, the guy who owned it last summer didn’t want to sell it to anyone because it’s such a collector’s item now,” Cal continued affably. “So Hannah had to help me convince him to part with it. And then she spent the fall putting on a new coat of paint and making sure it ran like a dream.”

      Ashley guided the car back into the barn and cut the motor. “You were working on this all the way back then?” she asked in amazement. He’d never said a thing!

      Shrugging, he released the catch on his safety belt. “I wanted you to have a spectacular coming-home present.”

      Spectacular was the word for it, all right. Ashley couldn’t think of a better, more meaningful gift he could have given her. Except the gift he had unknowingly given her and she’d lost, before. The gift he still knew nothing about.

      Ashley paused, aware yet again how much she loved Cal. More than anything, she wanted to be close to him again.

      Maybe it was time she stopped guarding her heart. Instead, she could concentrate on tearing down the walls between them and building a better foundation for their marriage. Heaven knew this was a remarkable start. Just knowing he, too, wanted things to be better between them made all the difference. For the first time in months, she was optimistic about their future together. Optimistic that it wouldn’t be just great sex and their love of medicine holding them together…

      She wreathed her arms about his neck and leaned over to kiss him. “This is without a doubt the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for me.”

      His lips moved warmly on hers. To her relief…and disappointment, he didn’t try to take the caress further. “I’m glad you like it,” he whispered, holding her close as she snuggled against him.

      “I more than like it, Cal. I love it.” Ashley splayed her hands across the solidness of his chest. As she looked at him, her heart felt lighter than it had in ages. “But you know what this means, don’t you?”

      Cal shook his head, still holding her eyes with all the tenderness she had ever wanted to see.

      “I still owe you a Valentine’s Day present. And it’s going to have to be a whopper to live up to the gift you’ve given me.”

      “Ah, Ashley, don’t you understand?” Cal chided her gently, pulling her close yet again for another long, soulful kiss that ended much too soon. He threaded a hand through her hair. “Just coming home with me and spending the month with me in Carolina is present enough.”

      THE NEXT MORNING, Cal woke at his usual time of 6:00 a.m. Congratulating himself for going against his baser instincts to seduce Ashley back into his bed the night before, he rose and headed downstairs to put on the coffee. And then waited. And waited. And waited.

      When Ashley still hadn’t stirred five and a half hours later, he went up to check on her. She was curled up on her side, sleeping soundly, one hand tucked beneath her pillow. Knowing she’d never get on Eastern Standard Time unless she made an effort to adapt to the five-hour time difference, he opened the drapes and let the January sunshine pour across the guest bed. “Rise and shine!”

      Ashley moaned and burrowed deeper in the covers. “What time is it?” she asked without opening her eyes.

      “Almost noon,” Cal leaned against the brass railing at the end of the double bed. She appeared to be going back to sleep. He nudged her foot. “Want to go for a run with me?”

      Ashley opened one eye. “Mmm.” She made a soft, sexy sound low in her throat. “Maybe later?”

      Cal was about to coax her further when he heard a car in the drive. He crossed to the window and saw Ashley’s father’s Mercedes coming up the lane. This was…unexpected. “Ashley, I think your dad’s here,” Cal said.

      Ashley scoffed and put one of the pillows over her head. “Get real,” she mumbled.

      Cal plucked the pillow away from her ear. “I mean it, Ash. I’m not kidding. Your dad just drove up to the house.”

      Ashley started, and ran a hand through her “bed-head” hair. As usual, she looked more apprehensive than pleased when confronted with a meeting with her parents. “I’ll keep him company while you get dressed,” Cal promised, aware he wasn’t much more comfortable with his father-in-law than Ashley seemed to be.

      By the time Cal made it downstairs, Harold Porter was standing on the front porch of the farmhouse. Cal hadn’t seen Harold for nearly a year but he looked the same as always. His impeccably cut silver hair was brushed away from his forehead in a suave, sophisticated style that didn’t move even in the stiffest breeze. His skin bore the perennial suntan of a man who played golf, sailed and skied. Not that those activities were pleasure-oriented. Cal knew that everything Harold Porter did revolved around his work. And sometimes the only place a business meeting could be worked in was on the slope, the deck of a boat or a superbly manicured green. Hal Porter did whatever was necessary to get the job done, which was how he had risen through sales and marketing departments to become CEO of a prominent pharmaceutical company that was headquartered in the Research Triangle Park.

      “Sir.” Cal shook his father-in-law’s hand and escorted him inside. Despite the fact it was a Saturday morning, Harold Porter was decked out in an expensive suit and tie.

      “I can’t stay.” Harold shrugged out of his cashmere overcoat and handed it to Cal. “I’ve got a flight to Chicago later this afternoon, but I wanted to drop in and see you and Ashley before I headed to the airport.”

      Cal wasn’t surprised. Harold traveled at least five or six days every week. Many weekends, he didn’t make it back to North Carolina at all.

      Cal hung up Harold’s coat. “Ashley will be down in a minute. She’s just waking up.”

      Harold frowned and glanced at his Rolex in obvious disapproval.

      “She’s still on Hawaii time,” Cal explained, wishing Ashley’s father wasn’t so hard on her. “Can I get you some coffee or juice?”

      Harold